Improvement in musical-tone indexes



W. H. CLARKE. Improvement in Musical Tone-Indexes. No.- 128,591. Patentedluly2,1872.

r\ q Fig- 4:

II FIIOTP-UTHUGRIFWICN. M K! (BEDRNES PROCESS 2 Sheets--Sheet2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIor WILLIAM HORATIO CLARKE, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN MUSICAL-TONE INDEXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 128,591, dated July 2, 1872.

To all whom it. may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM H. CLARKE, of Dayton, in the county of Montgomery and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Musical-Tone Indexes, of which the following is a specification:

The object of my invention is to provide an instrument by which the proper symbol of the musical tone of any one of a series of reeds will be indicated upon a dial-plate upon applying a current of air to the reed desired, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a plan or top view of a musical-tone index embodying my improvements; Fig. 2, a side elevation of the same; Fig. 3, a plan of the same with the top removed to show the arrangement of the reed-cells; and Fig. 4, a vertical section at the line a: x of Fig. 3.

A plate, 6, of circular or polygonal form, in connection with a similarly-formed bellows, f, on top of which it is secured, serves as a case for the mechanism of the instrument; but if it is preferred to produce the sound by blowing or inhaling air from the mouth upon or through the reed the bellows may be dispensed with, and a simple case of proper dimensions employed. An annular plate, 01, having a musical scale marked upon it, is secured to the plate 6. This scale conslsts of the symbols of the various tones of the diatonie scale and all the chromatic intervals. (flats and sharps) included in one octave from middle 0 upward, and constitutes a circular music-staff. Apertures t t are formed in the plates d and e adjacent to the respective symbols, through which apertures the air passes on its way to the reeds. A movable dial or trans posing-scale, c, Fig. 1, is placed in the space inside the annular dial-plate d. An internally-threaded knob, a, is secured to the upper plate 0 of the instrument, to which a hollow cylinder, J, is secured by a screw, j. A slot or opening, 12, is formed in the periphery of the cylinder J, which is provided with a flange at its lower end to support an outer cylinder, m, which can be turned freely upon it. A series of reed-cells, n n, in each of which is placed a reed, r, is formed in the cylinder, the reeds being secured to the cylinder and extending downward into the cells. An opening, 0 is,

formed in each reed-celladjacent to the cyl inder m. A plate, k, is secured to the top of the cylinder J, and carries an indicator, S. The indicator is formed of a plate-spring secured at one end to the plate k, or otherwise to the cylinder J, and bent upward or downward, or provided with a projection at its free end to take into the apertures t t in the dialplate, or it may simply point at the desired symbol. A catch, i, is secured to the transposing-scale c to hold the scale in position. The bellows f is of the ordinary construction used in musical instruments, and is provided with a knob, b, by which, in connection with the knob 11, it can be operated, and is also provided with valves to u, to allow the rapid egress of the air; but the bellows may be dispensed with and air blown directly from the mouth, if preferred, as before stated.

The key-note of a desired scale and its dia tonic order may be indicated by moving the transposing-scale c to the symbol of the required tone, and by turning the knob a so as to bring the indicator 8 opposite to the symbol of the particular tone desired, the opening 12 in the inner cylinder J is brought opposite the opening 0 in the reed-cell containing the reed of corresponding tone. Upon opening the bellows the air passes in through the apertures t t to the reed-cell, and, escaping through the opening 12 into the bellows, produces the tone desired with invariable exactness. When the bellows is released the air passes out through the valves u u.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, with a musical-tone index, of a circular music-staff, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in a musical-tone index, of the dial-plate, the outer cylinder carrying the reed-cells, the inside cylinder provided with an opening to communicate with a reedcell, and an index which indicates upon the dial-plate the tone of the reed with which the inside cylinder is in communication, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, in a musical-tone index, of a circular music-staff and a series of reedcells, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination,in a musical-tone index, of a circular music-staff, a transposing-scale .11 a revolving disk, and an indicator, sub- In testimony whereof I have hereunto sub- ,tantia-lly as set forth. scribed my name.

5. The combination,in a musical-tone index, YVILQIAM HORATiO CLARKE. of the circular music-staif, the transposingscale, the indicator, the outer cylinder carry- Witnesses: ing the reed-cells, and the inner cylinder pro- O. M. GOTTSCHALL, vided with an opening to communicate with a GEO. M. YOUNG.

reed-cell, substantially as set forth. 

